Lodging at Napo Wildlife Center

Your gateway to the pristine and untouched wilderness of Yasuní National Park awaits you in Napo Wildlife Center, located in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. This lodging holiday offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in this breathtakingly beautiful environment while enjoying the high-end comfort of a luxurious eco-lodge and personalized service.

During your stay at Napo Wildlife Center, you will have the chance to explore the rich and diverse ecosystems of Yasuní National Park with guided tours by local, expert naturalist guides. You’ll encounter a vast array of wildlife, from playful monkeys swinging through the trees to colorful birds soaring through the sky. You’ll also learn about the traditional lifestyles of the indigenous communities that call this region home, and the importance of protecting this fragile and vital ecosystem.

At the end of each day, you’ll retire to the comfort of your spacious and elegantly appointed ecological cabin, complete with modern amenities such as hot showers, electricity, and comfortable beds. The eco-lodges at Napo Wildlife Center are built with local materials and designed to minimize their impact on the environment, while supporting the local communities and promoting conservation efforts.

Activities in the jungle are very weather-dependent. This is the lodge’s standard 4-night program which is always subject to change:

Day 1 – On your first morning you will take a short 45-minute flight from Quito to Coca. It is then a short drive from the airport to “La Mision”, the main port of Coca, which will bring you to “the gateway to the Amazon” where Francisco de Orellana set sail in 1541! Your method of transportation will now be a comfortable covered canoe powered by twin outboard motors where you can enjoy a box lunch and coffee provided en route. This craft will take you downstream on the Napo River for about 2.5 hours to the Napo Wildlife Center (NWC) welcome station.

Here you will take a short break and make use of the facilities before transferring to smaller canoes that are used instead of motorized vehicles to maintain the pristine landscape and habitats. Over the next couple of hours, we will paddle you up Añangu Creek to the NWC lodge, which is situated on the bank of a tranquil lake amid a vast tract of primary rainforest where hunting is prohibited. On this canoe ride, you’ll have a high chance of spotting wildlife! There are various species of monkeys, as well as large birds like toucans, parrots, and even macaws can be seen. We’ll then arrive at your accommodation late in the afternoon.

Day 2 – After a buffet breakfast, you’ll experience life above the forest floor by visiting the 36-meter canopy tower. This tower is located about 30 minutes from the lodge and deep within the forest. You will observe an excellent sample of the 600+ species of birds recorded so far, with a close look at colorful tanagers, macaws, toucans, flycatchers, and even spider or howler monkeys feeding themselves on the nearby trees. The canopy tower opens up a whole new and exciting world to the guests of the Napo Wildlife Center.

Later, you will return to the lodge for a typical Ecuadorian lunch. After lunch, you will have a few afternoon activities to choose from; climb the central tower for birdwatching, go kayaking, or simply relax in your hammock if that’s more your vibe. You may choose to hike through the marvelous Terra Firme forest to discover the ecology and the role of plants in the complex world of the tropical rainforest. There’s vines, ancient trees, bromeliads, and orchids that stand out in this impressive natural garden. After the hike, you can explore the surrounding lake and creeks for the chance to run into a giant otter family. We’ll end the day with a delicious dinner in our lodge restaurant at 7:30 pm.

Day 3 – This morning you will visit the best parrot clay licks in Ecuador! An early start will allow you to see different creatures while paddling downstream on the Añangu creek as far as the welcome area. Then, you’ll take the motorboat for a 10 minute ride for a beautiful view of thousands of parrots such as the amazon-mealy, blue-headed, and orange–cheeked, among others who land at the natural riverside formation to eat some clay.

Later, you will return to the welcome area and start a short hike to the parakeets’ clay lick. Here hundreds of cobalt-winged parakeets remain crowded in the trees waiting for the most confident members of the flock to decide it’s the best time to get minerals from the clay. Marvel as they all take turns landing at this clay lick in a flurry of color and sound.

You will then enjoy lunch at Napo Cultural Center in the afternoon, before visiting the interpretation area to learn about the traditions of the ancestral Kichwa community of Añangu through song, dance, and conversation. Then you’ll head back to the lodge late in the afternoon where you will be welcomed back with a refreshing fruit drink, and dinner.

Day 4 – This morning you’ll hike along the Tiputini trail, where you will enjoy the mixture of Terra-Firma and swamp forests while searching for more wildlife such as golden-mantled tamarins, white-faced capuchin monkeys, two and three-toed sloths, pygmy squirrels, and maybe even a carnivore’s tracks on the forest floor.

You’ll then return to the lodge for lunch and a well-deserved rest. In the afternoon, paddle canoes will take you deeper into areas of the surrounding creeks with more possibilities of seeing unique wildlife like the hoatzin. After dinner, you will join a group gathering where everyone can discuss and share their experiences of the community and Napo Wildlife Center.

Day 5 – You’ll have an early breakfast and enjoy your last excursion canoeing back to the Napo River. The creek may reveal new sights of giant otters, monk saki monkeys, black-capped donacobius, and other birds. The motorized canoe will take you back to Coca for the flight back to Quito.

Additional Day(s): Excursions such as hikes through different trails and forest types are available. Canoe rides to explore areas of surrounding creeks in more depth will yield more wildlife observations. There are additional mammal clay lick excursions and handicraft workshops with the local community also available, among other options.